Select committee welcomes free education for ‘poor and working class’ students
JOBURG – The far-reaching response by government is a step in the right direction, said the committee.
The chairperson of the select committee on education and recreation welcomed the announcement by the presidency of government’s response to the Heher Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Recreation.
On Saturday, the presidency announced that subsidies to universities would be increased from 0.68 per cent to one per cent of Gross Domestic Product over the next five years. This is as recommended by the commission.
In a statement issued by parliament on behalf of the chair of the select committee said on Saturday that the far-reaching response by government is a step in the right direction in responding to the pleas of students within the higher education sector.
“The committee has always held the view that academic exclusion of the poor purely on the basis of affordability undercut South Africa’s democratic dispensation. This response is a step in the right direction to remedying the high levels of inequality in the country,” said the select committee chairperson Lungelwa Zwane.
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The statement further said the continued focus on TVET colleges is also welcomed in the context of the skills shortages within sectors necessary to drive economic growth.
This, as the government announced investment would be made to train and recruit more TVET staff and improve infrastructure.
The government would further invest in the training and development of existing TVET staff and the recruitment of additional qualified staff to improve the quality of teaching and learning at TVET colleges. Funds would also be directed towards the improvement of infrastructure in the TVET sector.
The commitment to upskill lecturers within the sector is also a welcomed announcement as it was one of the issues raised by students during various interactions with the committee.
While the committee welcomed the announcement, it said it would engage the Department of Higher Education and Training on the mechanics, implementation plan and funding model to support the roll-out. This engagement will happen when parliament resumes in early 2018.
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